Statement on Alice Guo’s appeal for an executive session

What difference does it make if she discloses in an open session as against a proceeding conducted behind closed doors? Alice Guo testified falsely before us, telling us a tall tale about her circumstances and practically everything we asked her in the previous Senate hearings. What assurance that she will be open, truthful, and cooperative this time?

Alice Guo, who at one point was a public servant, owes the public the truth behind her flight, the truth behind her alleged misdeeds. Karapatan ng publiko na malaman ang mga kawatan sa gobyerno na kasangkot niya at ng mga kasama niya para takasan ang isinasagawang imbestigasyon sa kanila.

Allowing an executive session could undermine the principle of transparency and public accountability in Senate investigations and could foster perceptions of secrecy, worse, erode public trust in the process.

She has not given us any compelling reason, especially matters concerning national security, to grant her an executive session. Paano namin siya pagbibigyan kung wala naman siyang isinisiwalat? Wala nga kaming napipiga sa kanya, gusto pa niya ng executive session?

Personally, the only thing that could convince me to conduct an executive session is when she could provide concrete proof of the existence of threats to her life.